


Can Toddlers be Tried for War Crimes?

by Sally_the_Sunflower



Category: The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Family Fluff, Fluff, Gen, Post War of the Ring, Precious Baby AU, but this will stay quite light, little mairon, rating is because of mentions of past events
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-18 16:16:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29612067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sally_the_Sunflower/pseuds/Sally_the_Sunflower
Summary: What do you think of when you hear the name Sauron? Hatred? Malice? A will to dominate all others?Well what about an orange slice-wielding, ant-eating toddler? Because that's exactly what he's been re-embodied as, much to everyone's surprise and no one really knows what to do now.
Relationships: Aulë | Mahal & Sauron | Mairon, Sauron | Mairon & Yavanna Kementári
Comments: 22
Kudos: 57





	Can Toddlers be Tried for War Crimes?

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! And welcome to my Precious Baby AU origin story!
> 
> For those unfamiliar, I've been making posts about Little Mairon over on my tumblr @saurons-pr-department

Aulë stared in disbelief at the jar in the Maia’s hands. Inside there swirled a violent storm of black smoke, interrupted only by the occasional flash of a red light from somewhere deep within its centre. He cautiously reached out with his mind to the being in the jar, but he drew back almost immediately when all he met was an ice-cold malice.

“It is him, isn’t it?” the Maia, Eönwë, asked, “When last I encountered him, he was already much changed from how I remember him, but this… Even I struggled to recognise him. Though I very much doubt that there are many of his like roaming Middle Earth.”

“It is him,” Aulë confirmed with a heavy sigh. “How did you…?” He indicated to the jar.

“Oh…Well, I just…scooped.” He mimed it with the sealed jar, showing Aulë how he had ushered the angry spirit into the jar by scooping it towards the opening with his hand.

“Scooped?” The Vala raised an eyebrow.

The Maia shrugged.

“Not the most dignified, I’ll admit. He’d probably be livid if he knew.”

Aulë eyed the storm raging behind the glass.

“I think he _is_ livid.”

The Vala couldn’t help but smile at the thought. Not maliciously, of course. Just… it was an amusing image, wasn’t it? _Scooped_. No wonder he railed against the walls of his glass confinement. _Scooped_.

“Have you told Lord Manwë yet?”, he asked.

“No, I felt it was best to come to you first. To… bring him home…”

“Good. Say nothing of this until I am ready.”

Now it was Eönwë’s turn to quirk an eyebrow. He didn’t like the sound of this. Aulë was a well-meaning, kind soul, but he was known to make some… _questionable_ decisions from time to time.

“You wish me to keep the presence of _Him_ from Lord Manwë?”

The Vala sighed.

“Once the others get involved things will get… messy. Discussions will need to be had. Decisions will need to be made. I would just like some time with him without all of that.”

As much as Eönwë loathed the idea of keeping such a big secret from his lord, he couldn’t deny that Aulë was right. The jar and its occupant would most likely be seized and locked away somewhere secure. Eönwë’s attempt to bring him home would have been pointless.

Knowing that he’d almost definitely come to regret his decision, Eönwë took a deep breath and agreed to Aulë’s request. It was certain to land him in a whole century’s worth of trouble with his lord, but he couldn’t find it within himself to refuse while Aulë was looking so longingly at the jar in his hands.

Aulë beamed at Eönwë when he heard that none of the others were to get involved just yet and enveloped him in a mighty hug that nearly knocked all the breath out of his fána.

“Mind the jar!” Eönwë managed to gasp out.

“Oh yes, of course. Sorry. I got a bit excited. Words cannot express how grateful I am to you for this, Eönwë.” He reached out his hands towards the jar. “May I?”

“Of course.”

The instant his hands made contact with the glass, the storm inside howled all the more ferociously. Aulë couldn’t help but feel hurt. He shouldn’t be so surprised. What else was he expecting from such a reunion? They had not exactly parted on good terms, nor had they ever patched things up in the millennia since. Logic told him that this was an infinitely smoother meeting than anything he had any right to hope for. Logic rarely succeeds in ruling the emotions or imagination though, and there had been many a night throughout the past Ages where Aulë had dreamed of a more…amiable return of his wayward Maia.

He was brought out if his disappointed thoughts by the feeling of a hand on his. He looked up from the storm in the jar and saw that Eönwë had stepped closer. The Maia was looking at him in an oddly kindly way. Perhaps it was pity on his face? Had Aulë made his disappointment that obvious?

“At least he is home, my Lord. It is more than we could ever have hoped for, you and I.”

Aulë was a little taken aback by that last statement.

“You mean… you hoped for it too?” He had been fully convinced that he could be the only one who would truly want this.

A pained looked, entered the Maia’s eyes, an old pain, one long since scarred over.

“He was my friend, long ago... I came so close to bringing him home once…”

Aulë was reminded of the evening he had opened his door to find a rather defeated Eönwë on his doorstep. It had been several weeks since the Maia had returned home after what would become known as the War of Wrath. _I offered him the chance to return, my Lord. He asked for a chance to return. …But he ran away again… I had no choice but to leave without him._

Aulë gave him a kindly smile, just as he had done for Aulë moments before.

“He is home now, Eönwë. You have returned him this time. That is all that matters.”

Eönwë smiled back at him.

“Yes, my Lord.”

“Now, I think it would be best for you to return to Lord Manwë before he starts wondering where you are!”

“Of course, my Lord. I will leave him in your care.”

With a bow, the chief of the Maiar took his leave of the Vala, leaving him alone with the jar and the storm that raged within it. A few moments passed with Aulë just gazing at the little spirit in his hands. This _really_ was not how he had imaged this reunion going. There was so much he wanted to say, so much he wanted to ask, but… could the being in the jar understand his words? And if it could, could it respond? Would he really want to hear those responses? He sighed.

“Well, what do I do with you now?” he asked the jar.

Unsurprisingly, no answer came. The storm inside just continued to swirl ferociously.

“I suppose the first thing to do is to find you somewhere safe and warm and secret.”

Quietly, Aulë made his way to his own private workroom, careful to avoid any of the Maiar or Eldar wandering the halls. They couldn’t know about their visitor, not yet. Oh, they were all going to be so angry with him, weren’t they? No, that wasn’t important right now. What was important was finding somewhere safe and comfortable for the jar. He could worry about the rest later.

Once in his workroom he placed the jar on a shelf with a good view of the whole room. Everyone knew not to bother him in here. This was his own private space for creating. The jar would be safe in the open like this. Anyway, Aulë felt like having a view would do the jar’s occupant some good. It surely had to be better than locking him away somewhere dark at any rate.

Staring up at the jar in its new home, Aulë felt a smile spread across his face and a happy warmth rise in his chest,

“Welcome home, Mairon.”


End file.
